'Effective' spot treatment

[Shar]

Vouch for water, best cleansing agent that humans can ingest it'll do wonders for things other than just skin too, so definitely make sure you're drinking plenty of water

I second this. It really does make a massive difference.

[Red]

Visit your gp and they will give you treatment in form of face wash/creams.

[KyleSmith]

I went to the doctors, 3 years ago, he gave me some tablets, they worked but then after sometime they stopped working.

I went again and he gave me the same tablets and some cream, same happened they worked them stopped! fgs.

Anyway cut along story shut this kept happening with different tablets, I went around November and this time she changed the tablets and same again. In the end I came off them in December and my skin has been quite clear since then with the odd few. Maybe I'm growing out of it? hmm

[Matthew]

By "worse" how bad are we talking? Like from having only a couple of spots to a couple more or a couple of spots to LOADS more?

I just use the boots facewash thing and it really makes a difference for me. I used it twice a day for weeks and my face was pretty much completely clear, and it was only when it ran out and I didn't use it for a few days that some spots starting appearing again.

Now I'm back to using it twice a day and after about a week my face is clear again. You could try other face wash brands as different ones have had different effects for me!

[buttons]

cutting out sugar and milk helped me have spot free skin. however i drink at least 3-4 cups of sugary tea a day and that aint stopping... my skin is at its worst a day or two after i binge eat or binge drink.

anyway, i'm going to recommend the Oil Cleansing Method (OCM) which is what i use. basically oil dissolves oil so by putting it onto your face it will get rid of the oil on your face which may cause spots yet keeping your skin MOIST (asdfghjuthb) enough to not get too dry. you mix a blend of castor oil which deeply cleanses your face with another oil to moisturise your skin - i use olive oil - and rub it into your face for about 10 minutes or more. the castor oil is so deeply cleansing that if i have a spot the head will literally come off or if i have an under the spot skin the castor oil makes it come to the top. (tmi?) then you put a wet, warm face cloth over your skin to open the pores and gently scrub it away. i put aloe vera gel onto my face afterwards but you mostly likely won't need anything. first few times i used it it was so effective it was like detoxing my skin as so much spots came up i thought i'd took an allergic reaction but after a few times it stopped and now i rarely get any spots providing i keep up with it. i do it about twice a week. have never had skin this clear in my life, its not perfect but its the best its been so something's going right.

have a google if you think im crazy otherwise stick to your chemicals which force you to buy more and more!!!

[MKR&*42]

By "worse" how bad are we talking? Like from having only a couple of spots to a couple more or a couple of spots to LOADS more?

I just use the boots facewash thing and it really makes a difference for me. I used it twice a day for weeks and my face was pretty much completely clear, and it was only when it ran out and I didn't use it for a few days that some spots starting appearing again.

Now I'm back to using it twice a day and after about a week my face is clear again. You could try other face wash brands as different ones have had different effects for me!

It went from about 3/4 random spots to having the entire bottom half of my face covered in them. Granted, I have seen people with spot outbreaks much worse than me so I shouldn't complain too much.

I did try using Nivea instead of oxy and that didn't help either, so I was quite reluctant to go and buy more brands of facewash in case they didn't work/there was a better method.
--
Water is probably one of the things I need to sort out then, I usually only drink about a pint of liquid/water per. day, I just don't really get thirsty. Also, can anyone else vouch that fruit improves them as well? (Presumably it would).

I have heard about using toothpaste to reduce spots and also the possibly issue of scarring with them, so that will only be a last resort

Thanks for replies all, I'll +rep and consider some of the stuff you lot have posted.

[lawrawrrr]

i use clearasil rapid action gel for when i have a big one and neutrogena grapefruit (mmm) daily wash to keep mine at bay, but for the most part i don't even care. spots are a natural part of being a teenager and the best cure is growing up.

i know it can be quite horrible if you're self-conscious or w/e but it won't last forever, and using extreme solutions like laser surgery (my sister had this) or tablets, horrific creams... they *could* have long-term effects.

[MKR&*42]

anyway, i'm going to recommend the Oil Cleansing Method (OCM) which is what i use.

Did a quick google of it and it seems to be quite an unusual/interesting method, might consider it. Cheers.
--- @laura; did your sister really go through laser surgery just to remove spots? (or were there quite a lot of them )

[lawrawrrr]

Did a quick google of it and it seems to be quite an unusual/interesting method, might consider it. Cheers.
--- @laura; did your sister really go through laser surgery just to remove spots? (or were there quite a lot of them )

She has really severe acne problems all over her body (worst on her face) that affected her esteem really badly, she went to see the doctor and they tried so many different tablets and creams for years, none of which worked. She then got referred to another doctor who gave her this MUCH stronger facewash (which they don't sell in the UK - only in the US as it contains Salycylic (sp) acid which is much more harshly regulated here) which helped a bit - then eventually she went in for this procedure last summer, which has cleared out her pores (I think) and prevented further breakouts since if she keeps using the facewash and stuff.

Just a heads up, this is *not* a procedure they'll even consider on the NHS so don't get too excited there. The NHS procedures, like I said, didn't have much effect and the psychological and health repercussions (it's antibiotics so she couldn't drink for pretty much 2 years on and off - she was 16-17 so that was frustrating to her, the tablets made her feel quite sick and she couldn't put any makeup or hide her face away so she got very very self-conscious about that)... she's told me it wasn't worth it down the NHS route. I'd never recommend that after seeing what she went through, unless it was a reeeeeaaaly extreme case, which is doesn't *really* seem like you have. Like I said, spots are a natural part: if your friends don't have spots, they're the abnormal ones!!

[MKR&*42]

She has really severe acne problems all over her body (worst on her face) that affected her esteem really badly, she went to see the doctor and they tried so many different tablets and creams for years, none of which worked. She then got referred to another doctor who gave her this MUCH stronger facewash (which they don't sell in the UK - only in the US as it contains Salycylic (sp) acid which is much more harshly regulated here) which helped a bit - then eventually she went in for this procedure last summer, which has cleared out her pores (I think) and prevented further breakouts since if she keeps using the facewash and stuff.

Just a heads up, this is *not* a procedure they'll even consider on the NHS so don't get too excited there. The NHS procedures, like I said, didn't have much effect and the psychological and health repercussions (it's antibiotics so she couldn't drink for pretty much 2 years on and off - she was 16-17 so that was frustrating to her, the tablets made her feel quite sick and she couldn't put any makeup or hide her face away so she got very very self-conscious about that)... she's told me it wasn't worth it down the NHS route. I'd never recommend that after seeing what she went through, unless it was a reeeeeaaaly extreme case, which is doesn't *really* seem like you have. Like I said, spots are a natural part: if your friends don't have spots, they're the abnormal ones!!

Oh wow, that sounds horrible :S Yeah, my case isn't that extreme.

I did consider a few times just not bothering because (as you say) they're hardly uncommon in teenagers, but I did still want to do something to stop it from becoming too bad aha.